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Next Generation ...
Meet Leor Barak
Building community and enterprise in the D.
A
sk Leor Barak why he loves Detroit and,
without missing a beat, he can rattle off
a dozen answers. Born in Detroit to Israeli
parents, raised in the Detroit burbs, Leor
has followed his heart back to the city where he is a proud
resident, a community leader, a new business owner, a
musician ... and a full-time real estate and business lawyer
serving investors, individuals, LLCs and nonprofits.
Charismatic, passionate — a natural leader with more
than a decade of legal, public policy and community
experience — Leor received the Spirit of Detroit Award from
the Detroit City Council in 2010. Additionally, he has been
a driving force in the resurgence of a vibrant and diverse
Jewish community centered at the Isaac Agree Downtown
Synagogue where he has served as board president since
2011.
His civic and community posts also include vice
president of the West Village Association and Community
Development Corporation, trustee of JVS and director of the
Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a BA in
political science, Leor earned his J.D. from Wayne State
University Law School and most recently completed his MBA
at Kettering University. A self-taught, multi-instrumental
musician and songwriter, Leor is the lead singer and guitar
player in his band, 7Layers, which he describes as "eclectic
blends of funk, blues, rock, ska and danceable beats you can
groove to."
Where Else But Detroit?
myJewishDetroit: Name 10 things you love about living
in Detroit.
Leor: Detroit's music legacy and talent pool; Detroit's industry
and cultural history; Detroit's art and creativity; Detroit's
festivals —WinterBlast, Jazz Fest, Dally in the Alley; Jewish
Detroit (talk about deep roots and community!); Detroit's
neighborhoods and West Village in particular; Detroit's
amenities — Belle Isle, the Riverwalk, Dequindre Cut;
Detroit's new developments and opportunities for business
— like my neighborhood pizza shop on Jefferson; and last,
but most important, my family! Detroit is my hometown.
On Family Background
Leor: I love telling the story about my parents. When they
first came here from Israel in 1978, they moved into the Cass
Corridor because of its proximity to Wayne State University,
where my dad was working on his Ph.D. in mechanical
engineering. They didn't know at the time that Cass Corridor
had the reputation of being one of the most dangerous
places in the nation. It just made sense for them to live
within walking distance of campus, and it never occurred to
them to commute from a distance of 30 miles away.
Then and now, it makes economic, environmental and
social sense to live close to where you work or go to school.
As my dad finished his Ph.D., of course, our family moved to
Oak Park, then to Southfield and finally to Bloomfield.
myJewishDetroit: Were your parents born in Israel?
Leor: Actually, my parents were both immigrants from
opposite extremes. My dad was born in Morocco, and when
he was just 6 years old, both of his parents died. As a Jewish
VIVIAN HENOCH I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
child consigned to an orphanage in an Arabic community,
the prospects for him were very poor. He eventually was
brought out of Morocco, first to an orphanage in France,
then to Israel as part of an international Jewish program.
My father's original name was Felix Ohana — he got the
name Barak in Israel because they wanted the children there
to grow up with an Israeli name and identity.
So there's my dad — an orphaned Jew who never liked to
claim he was Moroccan ... and my mom, born to a wealthy
family in Romania under the Communist regime. Her family
tried to leave, but not before her father was imprisoned and
tortured. Ultimately, they fled to Israel with little more than
the clothing on their backs.
Though they came from very different family backgrounds,
my parents were both Jews from the diaspora who were not
safe in their respective home countries and who came to
Israel to escape persecution. They met in Haifa while my dad
was in the Israeli army and my mom was working a kiosk.
We still have family in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Yerushalayim.
On Early Influences,
Growing Up In Jewish Detroit
Leor: You know how there's this really tight-knit Jewish
community in Detroit? Well, my family was never really
connected like that. We strongly identified as Jewish but not
religiously so.
I went to Lahser High School, while most of the Jewish
kids in Bloomfield went to Andover, so I didn't really have all
that many Jewish friends.
I can't say that I got my community ethic directly from my
parents, but their childhood stories and challenges being
Jews certainly influenced me. Also, my experiences and
observations growing up in Bloomfield really informed my
decision to go to law school. I consistently witnessed African
American and Hispanic drivers being pulled over, while
whites were less regularly stopped. I was naive, but it was
confusing to me for a lot of reasons, one of which is that
Bloomfield was mostly white. So I started asking questions
and began to realize that racial profiling was going on. I
wanted to do something to change that, and I went to law
school originally to become a criminal defense attorney. I
switched paths since then, but I've never lost my empathy,
sense of identity and solidarity with the black community
and their struggles. As Jews, we should be the first to
stand up for the rights of those who are oppressed and
underprivileged.
"Maybe my first passion is music," Leor says.
Leor in front of his duplex in Detroit's West
Village
On City Life In Detroit
Leor: After law school, I was determined to buy a house in
Detroit. Everyone thought I was insane. My parents were so
set against the idea they offered to help pay for a house in
Ferndale, Royal Oak, anywhere but here in the city.
It was 2008. Sure, there were some Jews living in Detroit,
but not many people my age buying houses and living
around Downtown.
I knew what I was looking for. I had this matrix in my
head. I wanted a location near Downtown, but in its own
neighborhood enclave. I wanted a house with character,
preferably a historic property. I wanted to be on a main
transit route, close to shopping and amenities. I needed a
Talking up Detroit, Leor's cup of tea
stable community, some density and a potential for some
kind of commercial development. So West Village was it.
I found this beautiful old "castle" — a duplex built in
1906 listed at $88,000 and bought it because it fit the bill,
and I wanted to be a part of the community here in Detroit. I
also feel I had the foresight in knowing that the West Village
neighborhood had potential. Today, there's new business
development, a commercial strip with new restaurants like
Meet Leor Barak on page 30
January 22 • 2015
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